Notable quotes: One wrong move and they could be chipped’

David Rogers

Thursday

Oct 27, 2016 at 12:01 AMOct 27, 2016 at 9:45 PM

"Any park you want to attract residents and visitors has to have shade. What this plan does is really respect [Addison] Mizner’s vision, incorporating shorter royal (palms) but adding shade trees and enhancing the viewing of the fountain and the enjoyment of the area." — Then-Garden Club of Palm Beach President Vicky Hunt, 2014

> PHOTOS: Palm Beach Town Square and Memorial Fountain

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"I am a Cuban exile. I was fortunate enough that my paternal grandmother and my parents came straight to Palm Beach, therefore making Palm Beach my home. I feel a great affinity toward our town. Assisting in projects like this one is a huge pleasure for me." — Landscape designer Jorge Sanchez

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"The square is the heart of the town, and the park is where the town’s war heroes are honored. It is the postcard of our town, and it says everything about who we are." — Resident and urban design consultant Elizabeth Dowdle

> Special Section: A guide to the makeover of Town Square

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"(Memorial Park) was very vital and very alive when I was a child. This has been dead for 30 years. You have a civic center that cries for vitality. We have merchants who are trying to make a living around it. We are all looking for places to perch our cups of coffee. That might sound trivial, but we want life in our town. This is a vital town. We are not a museum piece. We are not historic Williamsburg." — Landmarks Preservation Commissioner Page Lee Hufty, 2014

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"As a civic, public structure created by the people and for the people of the Town of Palm Beach, it is something which is the property of each and every person. And it looks fabulous now." — Alexander Ives, president of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach

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"If you move forward, (the) Preservation (Foundation) and Centennial Commission will raise funds." — Former Mayor Lesly Smith in October 2014, when the council approved modified plans for the Town Hall Square renovation

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"It’s causing some sleepless nights. One wrong move and they could be chipped, so we are taking our time with them." — Project manager Tony Sabatino of Burkhardt Construction last June, when crews put the hippocamp pieces back in place

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"The problem is the reinforcing material that was used in the ’20s by (Addison) Mizner was iron rebar. The material that the cast concrete is constituted of is 84 percent calcite as you will see in the report. It’s very saline and therefore accelerates deterioration." — Architect Mark Marsh to the Landmarks Preservation Commission in February 2013

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"The unveiling of the fountain in all its glory as the centerpiece of the new Town Hall Square will complete the vision of a welcoming public space." — Centennial Commission Vice President Bill Metzger

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"Creating another park that nobody will use at the north end of Town Hall doesn’t make a lot of sense, either. I’ve never seen anybody in the park at Peruvian (Avenue) and South County Road, and the only people who use the park at Chilean and South County are occasional employees who take a smoke break." — Expansion opponent William Cooley in fall 2014, when he convinced the town to drop plans to add stairs to the south side of Memorial Fountain

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"The end product, which we expect in late January, will be beautiful, with oaks (in the south end), nice royal palms, the Tabebuia trees flanking the fountain, (and) the tabby sidewalk that runs up to the side of the fountain itself." — Town project engineer Mike Roach last November when the park was largely devoid of greenery